


blessed

by SolitarySnowflake



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Idk how to tag things, M/M, Magic, everyone has powers idk, i wrote this a looong time ago so deceit is evil sorry, or something like that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:08:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24620596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolitarySnowflake/pseuds/SolitarySnowflake
Summary: In the process of finding an antidote for Patton's odd illness, Logan meets and befriends a mysterious emo helper.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

No one knew the sprawling streets of the city better than Logan. Which was probably why he'd been shafted to this job, the task of wandering the streets in hopes of collecting information about lunar poisoning.

  
Not that he minded, of course. In fact, he might have volunteered even if he hadn't been the sole member equipped for the job.

  
His eyes swept through the rows of buildings and droves of people. He committed every face to memory- should the information become of use in the future, he would have it right there at his disposal.

  
There. The bookstore.

  
Despite his obvious familiarity with the streets, this was actually only the second time Logan had walked them. The first time around, he'd stopped by the library. 

  
This time, he was going to put what he remembered to use, starting from Darkside's Bookstore.  
A library would have been ideal. Unfortunately, the city, for all its looming apartments and chattering crowds, lacked one of use. The public library was an unfortunate misery, with its understaffed and rundown facility. The bookstore, however, seemed more promising. Logan pushed open its glass doors, shivering as a sudden blast of cool air blew into his face. Soft wind chimes announced his entrance. Once in, Logan stood still and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in. Ah. The fresh scent of books, complimented by the faint aroma of coffee. There must be a cafe in the back.

  
"Hey, can I help you with anything?"

  
Though the words themselves were casual and friendly, the tone in which they were delivered were anything but. In fact, the speaker seemed apathetic and tired. Logan opened his eyes to assess the teenage boy in front of him curiously. Heavy eyeshadow, black and purple hoodie, a short stack of books in his arms. All these details flitted into the storage of his mind as he considered his reply.  
"Yes, as a matter of fact I do." He responded in his usual clipped, no nonsense voice. "Do you, by chance, happen to have any books on lunar poisoning?"

  
For a moment, the boy looked taken aback, and Logan could almost feel his surprise as his own. Though he couldn't fathom why this could be. After all, was lunar poisoning wasn't THAT strange of a topic to ask for, was it?

  
"You're a Blessed?" The boy asked, and Logan suddenly realized it wasn't the particular topic he was asking that had surprised the boy. He must have spotted the badge on his chest. The one that marked him as a member of a guild. 

  
"Yes, I am." Logan nodded curtly. "I don't mean to be rude, but that isn't quite relevant to what I am asking for."

  
The boy shrunk into himself slightly. "Right, right, of course." He turned abruptly and started walking off. Logan blinked and jogged after him. 

  
"You know," the boy said suddenly, "there aren't many Blessed in this town." A frown tugged at Logan's lips. There was something about the boy's voice that he didn't like. A sort of edge. Furthermore, he hadn't pegged him as the talkative type. Was he trying to tell Logan something?

  
"Oh? And why would that be?" Logan pressed, intrigued.

  
The boy stopped walking just as abruptly as he'd started, and Logan almost ran right into him. As it was, his arm brushed briefly against his, and a sudden burst of fear and worry tore through him. Just as quickly as it came it was gone. Logan stared at the boy in surprise, but he seemed unaware of anything that had happened. Instead, he gestured at the bookshelf before him. "All yours. There's a couple books specifically about lunar poisoning and a few more that mention it. I hope you find what you're looking for, and fast." Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked off, leaving Logan to stare at his retreating figure.

  
How strange. It almost seemed like he wanted Logan to leave.

  
Slightly on edge, Logan turned to the books, pulling one out and scanning through it. With a memory like his, buying the book would not be necessary. Perhaps he was exploiting the system, but the situation he faced was too dire to worry about legal matters. Nor did he have time to ponder the strange teen who had just walked off.

  
Ultimately, Logan could find little information he didn't already know. Nevertheless, he pored over the books, doing what he could. As he did, a shadow loomed over him, causing him to glance up.   
...what?

  
He couldn't mask his surprise at the figure looming over him. The left side of his face was perfectly normal, but his right... it was patterned in snake scales, and that side of his mouth stretched up in an unnatural and lopsided smile. "Hey. Don't know if you got the memo, but we're closing up."  
Quickly regaining posture, Logan nudged his glasses up with a finger before glancing at his watch. "Ah. My sincerest apologies. I lost track of time." He closed the book he was perusing and stood. "Thank you for letting me know. I will be leaving now." He turned, but before he could take a single step, a firm hand gripped the back of his neck and a cloth was pressed to his face, covering his nose and mouth.  
Quickly catching on, Logan held his breath. It's already too late, he thought grimly. He felt lightheaded. Nevertheless, he reached behind and grabbed the snake faced man's arm, attempting to twist it.   
"Stop. Breathe. You're only hurting yourself." The smooth voice commanded, and Logan instantly stilled, taking a deep breath in. "That's right," the snake man cooed. "Keep breathing. Everything is perfectly fine."

  
Everything was perfectly fine.  


  
When Logan woke up, the first thing he felt was the cold.

  
It bit through his dress shirt, and he cursed himself for his impractical choice of clothing. Not that he knew he would be kidnapped taken to- where was he? Logan sat up, feeling stiff cloth over hard metal beneath him. A cot. Faint light filtered in from a small set of bars on a grey stone wall.  
By the stars and moon. This was some kind of old fashioned prison cell. Why him? What did he have of worth to his kidnappers?

  
A clink sounded from the left, and Logan turned his head sharply just in time to see a man enter the room and step over him. "Oh, you're already awake." He muttered, disgruntled. Logan opened his mouth to speak, but something sharp plunged into his arm before he could get a single word in.

  
Darkness.   



	2. Chapter 2

  
Virgil quietly pushed open the door to the prisoner's room.

  
At least, as quiet as he could manage with this clunky steel door. He cringed as the door scraped against the floor. Not that he would get in trouble for being here. By all means, he was supposed to be right here, right now, holding a small syringe, standing over the sleeping prisoner's bed.   
But what he was doing next wasn’t what he was supposed to be doing. Anxiety jittered through his veins, conjuring up horrible fantasies and worst case scenarios relentlessly. 

_ WhatamIdoingWhatamIdoingwhatamI- _

_  
_ His restlessness spilled into the air like a gas leak, and the young man on the bed stirred, brow furrowing. Carefully, slowly, Virgil began to loosen his chokehold on his magic, letting his emotions trickle into the room. The prisoner turned over once, twice, gritting his teeth, before finally shooting up in his cot and breathing out a gasp. His head shot toward Virgil and his hand immediately went for his waist.

  
"It's not there." Virgil put his hands up, fingers still curled around the syringe. "We took away your knife." As he spoke, he struggled to reign his magic back in. There was no way he'd be able to make any progress with this boy all riled up on Virgil's own emotions. "What's your name?"

  
The prisoner eyed him warily, chest still heaving. "Yours first."

  
Virgil dropped his hands. "Fine. I'm… I'm Virgil." He glanced away self consciously. "Now you."

  
The male regarded him. "Logan." He finally admitted.

  
"Great. Okay, Logan." He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "I just want to talk. I'll help you if you help me."

  
To his credit, Logan didn't immediately try to attack him. Instead, he seemed to be contemplating Virgil's offer. Virgil tried to wrestle down the tiny sprout of hope growing in his chest.

  
"And if I don't help you?" Virgil's breath caught in his throat, and for a moment he was silent. He wanted to tell Logan that he'd do something horrible, or that he'd sedate him and leave him right there and then. But he couldn't bring himself to. 

  
Virgil glared at the ground, feeling Logan's expectant gaze burn into him. "Then I'll still help you," he finally spat. Idiot. Why did you tell him that?

  
"Well." Logan swung his feet over the side of the cot, expectant stare unwavering. "What do you propose?"

  
Virgil looked up in surprise. "I- um. I'll help you get out of this place if you… ugh, never mind. I'll just help you get out." There were too many risk factors. Too many ways this could go wrong.   
And he had to admit to himself that he didn't think he could handle the rejection, even from a total stranger.

  
"No, go on." How could Logan, who was being held prisoner, separated from whatever family he had, be calmer than Virgil, the one with a needle loaded with chemicals and knowledge of this building like the back of his hand? It wasn't fair.

  
"I want to stay with your guild." Virgil swallowed, trying to maintain his posture. "Just for a while, I swear. I just… need someplace."

  
Logan blinked. "And how do I know this isn't all part of some elaborate scheme to put my guild in danger?"

  
Virgil crossed his arms and scowled. "You don't," he pointed out. "That's why I told you to forget it. Do you want help or not?"

  
"Of course. But I have some questions I'd like to ask about this place before that. For one, the syringe?" Logan nodded at Virgil's hand.

  
Right. "We've been sedating you every few hours in case you can use your ability to escape. It's supposed to be my turn, but I haven't given it. Obviously."

  
"Obviously." echoed Logan. "Alright. Where am I, and why?"

  
"This is the Darkside guild's building." Virgil explained. "And you're here because… you're here because our guildmaster is trying to, um… recruit as many people as possible for his own reasons. Which I don't know, so don't ask."

  
"The snake man," Logan guessed, drawing a nod from Virgil. "Last question. Why are you helping me?"  
Virgil shifted uncomfortably. This had been the question he had been afraid of. The answer was far more complicated and personal than simple selflessness. "It's wrong." He stated. "I don't like it. And I don't like them." 

  
"Fair. I realize I said that would be the last question, but I feel it inevitable to ask if you have a plan."  
"Sort of…?" Plans had never been Virgil's strong suit. "It's too early for people to be awake, and they'll be expecting you to be knocked out, so there won't be guards. We can just sneak out."

  
"Rely on sheer luck to get us through? That is unacceptable. Listen to me."  


  
Half an hour later, Virgil had a second (empty) syringe in his hands and Logan his knife.   
Contrary to Virgil's belief, there actually had been guards at the exit. Meaning that the extra sedatives Logan made him bring were actually put to use.

  
After the guards were knocked out, it was easy sailing. The guildhouse wasn't designed as an active prison. People had to live there, after all. No one spared them a glance as they stepped out into the early morning light.

  
"I guess I'll be seeing you then." Virgil stuffed his hands into his hoodie pockets. "You better get going."  
Logan glanced back in surprise. "Are you not coming with me?" He raised an eyebrow. "Those were the terms of the agreement, were they not?"

  
"I-" Virgil stared at him, dumbfounded. "I didn't think we agreed on that."

  
"If you changed your mind, that is understandable. But I would like to help you out of your situation like you have out of mine." Logan extended an open hand at him.

  
Virgil stared at it for a moment and almost went to reach for it before remembering himself. "I'm not going to shake your hand. But- I'll come. If you'll have me." His speech was halting and guarded. He hoped Logan wouldn't take offense, but he merely retracted his hand with a nod, calm as ever.  
"Come, then." Virgil couldn't believe how painless that interaction had been. His relief was short lived, however. As soon as they started navigating the city, Virgil remembered why he usually didn't.   
People. Too many people. He wrestled his magic to keep it from broadcasting his anxiety to everyone within a fifteen feet radius of himself. His fear of accidentally brushing up against someone only made it worse.

  
_Chill out_. Virgil determinedly kept his eyes focused on Logan's back. This is why people back at the guild called you Anxiety. The guild. Stars, the guild. What would they think when they found him missing? Especially… no no no. What was he thinking? How could he escape any of them? He could get himself and everyone in Logan's guild killed. And- and Logan's guild. Virgil pressed the sleeve of his hoodie to his nose and inhaled shakily. He didn't know any of them. He would just be barging into their business, invading their space, spreading his toxic toxic feelings-

  
"Virgil?" Logan's concerned voice sounded distant to Virgil's ears.

  
Everything around him was moving moving moving and Virgil didn't know if it was because he was still walking or if it was because he was dizzy with nausea and nerves. 

  
Each breath was heavier than the last and everyone must be watching him break down in broad daylight outside.

  
He was vaguely aware of a far off voice counting steadily. Desperately, he latched onto it, trying to calm his breathing down. "Come on," he could hear Logan urge. "Let's sit down inside."

  
Virgil let himself be guided into a cafe, where they sat on opposite ends of a table by the window. Virgil put his head down in his arms, taking a few minutes to fully calm down. Even after he did, it took a great amount of courage to lift his head and face Logan again.

  
"Sorry," he croaked, before clearing his throat. "Didn't mean to just… freak out like that."

  
"It's quite alright." Despite his words, even Logan looked a little pale. His hands were laced together on the table. "If I might ask- and it is perfectly within your right not to answer… you're Blessed too, aren't you?"

  
"Gee, you're not pulling any punches, are you." Virgil was thankful for Logan's directness. It was easy to know what he was thinking without having to second guess and interpret. "I did mention my guild. And my ability..." He hesitated. 

  
"You can transmit your own feelings to others." Logan sounded mildly fascinated, which was a step up from fearful, at least. "I felt it on multiple occasions."

  
Virgil nodded miserably. "'Transmit' makes it sound like something I can control. It's more like… radiate. Having second thoughts?"

  
"Actually, I was pondering the similarities between your ability and the ability of my guild mate, Patton. Both of you deal with emotions, yet he is on the receiving end, being able to feel the emotions of others."

  
Virgil huffed in frustration. "That's what you're focusing on? Look, I'm kind of a menace to anyone around me. How can you even trust me? Asking about your guild back there was a stupid move on my part. I'd happily turn back right now if you gave me the word."

  
"Actually, if it were up to me, you would never have to return there again. It has clearly caused you a lot of trauma." Logan nudged his glasses up. "As for trust, you earned that when you attempted to warn me about the bookstore."

  
Logan was clearly very sharp. Virgil didn't think he'd picked up anything but his bad attitude from their first meeting. 

  
"Besides," Logan continued, "there are currently only four members of our guild, so we would be happy to have a new member, no matter how long he may stay."

  
Virgil cocked his head. "Only four?" Four was the minimum for a guild. He was shocked they were still up and running. 

  
"Three, really. The guild master Thomas is still officially recognized as a member, but he took off to pursue a different life with his friends."

  
Virgil nodded, having nothing else to say. His lightheadedness had almost totally faded, and strength was beginning to return to his muscles.

  
"Would you like to stay a bit longer?" Logan offered. Virgil shook his head, already moving to pick up the small pack he brought and stand up. There was no need to drag this out any longer than he had to.  
Logan stood up as well. "Do you happen to have a phone?" He inquired, stepping out of the booth.  
"Ah, no. It's. Broken." He'd thrown it at the wall last week. 

  
"Well, I suppose it's not a long way back anyhow." 

  
"I never really asked, but where do you all live?" They walked through the city, with Virgil tensely trying to stave off his worry. 

  
"Right on the edge of this city and the next," Logan replied, which wasn't much, but it did give Virgil an idea of how far the rest of the walk would be. Which was not very far- maybe fifteen minutes.

  
Those fifteen minutes passed in an awkward silence. At least, Virgil felt it was awkward. With Logan's steady composure, he could have been completely comfortable. Unflappable, the guy was.

  
Soon, they came up before a one story house that would have been large had Virgil not known it was meant to house an entire guild. Logan walked briskly up to the door, unsheathing his knife. Virgil's eyebrow furrowed. "What are you going to do, stab the keyhole?"

  
"Of course not." Logan held the blade in his hand, carefully avoiding the sharp edge. With his other hand, he yanked at the hilt, which came off to reveal a key.

  
"Of course," Virgil grumbled as Logan stuck the key into the keyhole. 

  
This was really it. 

  
"Patton?" Logan called, pushing open the door. "I'm here. I brought someone with me.  



	3. Chapter 3

Patton could feel both of them before Logan said a single word.

  
One presence was familiar- calm, tinged with worry. That had to be Logan.

  
He thought the second was Roman at first, but no, it couldn't be. Whoever it was was a swirling vortex of anxiety and fear. 

  
"Logan!" Patton shot up into a sitting position on the couch and immediately clenched his teeth as nausea rolled over him. Despite this, he managed a bright smile. "Now, don't run away from us like that again and scare us! Where were you?"

  
Logan stepped in and glanced at the doorway. "You can come in," he coaxed. The nervous presence increased as a young man slipped in. He was about Roman's age, Patton guessed- nineteen or twenty, a couple years younger than Logan and Patton. 

  
He eyed Patton warily before looking away. Spikes of self consciousness shot off him like bullets. "I am late," Logan continued, drawing Patton's attention back, "because I was kidnapped in the bookstore. I will give details later. First order of business- May I borrow your phone? Mine is out of battery, and I must call Roman. No doubt he's off galavanting to who-knows-where looking for me."

  
Patton laughed good naturedly, handing over his phone. "You sure do know Roman well, Logan! But… you were -kidnapped-?"

  
Logan was too busy dialing Roman to answer. As he did, the newcomer shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. Patton offered him a warm smile, patting the couch beside him. "Come sit. What's your name?"

  
The boy cast a quick glance at Logan ("No, Roman, I was not held hostage by a malicious 'dragon witch'. That is highly unrealistic. Just come home.") before obliging. "Virgil." He muttered, glaring at the floor. 

  
"Virgil." Patton mused. "I'm Patton! How do you know Logan? Oh! Are you here to join the guild?"  
The last question in particular miiight not have been a good idea. Virgil tensed up and gave a noncommittal shrug.

  
"Finally. That buffoon is on his way." Logan set the phone down. "Patton, do not scare him. I will explain when Roman returns. In the meantime... how are you feeling?" Logan's sense of concern ticked up.

  
Patton's smile faltered slightly. "Well, I'm doing just dandy! I'm sure I'll be fine." 

  
"That," Logan said sharply, "is a blatant falsehood." 

  
Patton puffed out a breath. "Alright, Logan, you got me. I'm not feeling any better. But I'm also not feeling any worse! So that's good... right?" 

  
Confusion from Virgil, exasperation from Logan. Patton considered the lack of increasing worry a win.   
Despite his nonchalance, he still felt like fire was simmering just beneath his skin. Every movement caused a small jolt of nausea. The poison would soon slow his vital organs, and... well, he didn't want to think about it.

  
"Lunar poisoning?" Virgil guessed softly from beside him. 

  
Logan nodded shortly. "I suppose you can guess why I was at your bookstore yesterday."

  
Before either Virgil or Patton could reply, the door kicked open, making Virgil jump.

  
"Be graced by my royal presence!" Roman called out, sauntering in. 

  
"Roman." Logan greeted. "Please close the door."

  
"Oh, right." Roman reached over to close the door.

  
"Roman!" Patton cheered. "Now that you're here, Logan can start telling his story!"

  
"Yes! Logan!" Roman pointed an accusatory finger at Logan. "You- who are you?" His feelings morphed into confusion as he noticed Virgil raising an eyebrow at him.

  
"Let's talk this over some food." Logan rose. 

  
By the time everyone was seated at the table, the emotional state of the guild was a mess- even if no one was showing it. Logan, who was spreading Crofters jam onto a piece of toast, was worried for both Virgil and Patton. Roman, sipping at orange juice, oozed distrust for Virgil. Meanwhile, Virgil's anxiety hadn't let up in the slightest, and his guard was up against everyone in the room. He hadn't touched his toast.

  
"Alright, Logan," Patton prompted. "I'm dying to hear what happened when you were kidnapped!"  
Roman's head jerked up in a rush of shock. "-Kidnapped?-"

  
"Yes, I was kidnapped." Logan gave them a quick rundown of the events- his first encounter with Virgil, the snake faced man, being saved. When his tale was over, the emotional state of the room had shifted. Anticipation, confusion, a continued underlying distrust from Roman.

  
Patton took a moment to collect his own thoughts. For him, at least, one thing was clear. "Well, Virgil." He beamed at the newcomer. "Welcome to the guild! I'm sure you'll love it here. Oh! You can dye your hair like ours!" Patton pointed at his plum purple hair, reminiscent of all members of the guild- save Virgil.

  
"Pat, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves here." Roman propped his elbows on the table, drawing disapproval from Logan, and rested his chin on his hands. "So, Emo Raccoon. If you were part of a guild before, what can you do? Do you even have magic?"

  
"I do have magic," Virgil snapped, before emitting instant regret. "And I used to be my guild's potionmaker. If you're so good, what can you do?"

  
"I," Roman pronounced dramatically, "am an illusionist." With a flourish, he conjured a pair of bluebirds that fluttered into the air before vanishing.

  
Virgil looked unimpressed.

  
"What can you do then?" Roman turned Virgil's own words agin him and crossed his arms. Virgil turned defensive at once, opening his mouth to speak. That was when Patton jumped in.

  
"Alright, kiddos. That's enough. Why don't we take some time to watch a Disney movie to celebrate Logan's return and our new member?"

  
"Fine." Roman scowled. Despite his seemingly reluctant agreement, Patton could tell he was instantly placated by his suggestion.

  
"Finish your food first. Patton, Virgil."

  
Logan finally spoke up, casting a look of disapproval at their untouched plates. 

  
Patton pouted, pushing around his food with a fork. "But Logan, I'm not hungry." He complained. "I think I'll throw up if I take a single bite of this."

  
Roman looked at him in concern. "Finish your juice, at least." He prodded.

  
"Ugh, fiiine."

  
"And that goes for you as well, Virgil," Logan added. Virgil rolled his eyes, but even then was already moving to comply.

  
Ten minutes later, they were back on the couch. "Logan, give me the remote," begged Roman. "I want to watch the Lion King!"

  
"No. We have already watched that fifteen and a half times." 

  
In the end, they settled on Moana. Within the first half hour, Virgil's emotions flicked out like a light. Roman went next, snoring softly. Patton's eyes remained glued to the screen while Logan sat next to him, occasionally making dry, sardonic commentary.

  
"Why does Te Fiti look exactly like Moana?" Was Logan's latest complaint. 

  
"Shh. This is so emotional." Patton's eyes pricked with tears.

  
By the time the movie was over, Patton was wiping his eyes. "He got his fishhook back, Logan." He kept repeating.

  
"Alright, alright." Logan sighed, turning the TV off. "It is just a movie, Patton. And you have seen it before."

  
Patton, however, was quickly distracted by the sight of Roman and Virgil. "Aw, look at them!" Patton nudged Logan, who turned automatically.

  
Roman was leaning against Virgil in his sleep. The two of them seemed more relaxed than I'm they had the entire morning- Virgil seemed like a completely different person without his permanent grimace.  
"They are… very cute." Logan admitted, conflicting feelings rising in him. "But I fear it might upset both of them when they wake up."

  
"I'm sure they'll get along swimmingly if they just try to get to know each other better." Patton assured optimistically. He had full faith in his guildmates! "Virgil seems like a good kid."

  
"He is." Logan promised. "I can't say I trust him fully at the moment, but I feel I will in the future."  
Patton glanced at Logan curiously. "Logan," he started, "were you hiding anything from us about him back there?"

  
Logan sighed. "You must have surmised by now that Virgil is a very private person. I did not withhold any information of meaning. He will tell us what he wants in time."

  
Patton nodded, satisfied with his answer, and the two sat in a comfortable silence. Logan was the one to break it. 

  
"If this truly is lunar poisoning," he murmured, "then why won't anything work on you? How were you even exposed?" His frustration was beginning to seep into his voice. 

  
Patton rested a hand on Logan's shoulder and tried to ignore the consequent rush of mixed emotions from Logan's side. Ever since the poison had weakened Patton's control over his ability and exposed him to everyone's emotions 24/7, Logan's feelings for him had become a big pink elephant in the room. None of the two had mentioned it; Patton was waiting for Logan to tell him in his own time, and Logan still seemed to be sorting his own thoughts out.

  
"We can figure this out, kiddo," Patton finally spoke. "After all, if I really did have normal lunar poisoning, I would have lost my ability a week ago. And I was never actually bit by a Moon Serpent. I'm a special case."

  
"The lack of consistency is more worrying than relieving."

  
"Now, don't be such a worrywort, Logan!" Patton teased. "I'm sure I'll be fine."

  
"…I suppose," Logan replied quietly. Uncertainly. "I just... feel like I can do more."

  
It felt wrong for Logan to be anything but cool and confident, but here he was, buzzing with self doubt and worry. 

  
"Oh, Logan." Patton offered him a reassuring smile. "You're already doing so much. Do you think maybe another movie will help?"

  
Logan let out a deep breath. "I suppose," he finally answered, leaning back.   



	4. Chapter 4

Roman woke up feeling like someone had poured liquid electricity into his veins.

He felt jittery and his heart raced a thousand beats per second. His fingers dug into the couch, and no matter how deeply he breathed, he couldn't get oxygen into his lungs.

He hadn't felt like this in a while.

Quickly, he realizing his arm was pressing against soft cloth. Slowly, his eyes shifted to the right.

Virgil.

Roman cursed quietly and scrambled to the left. The change was instantaneous- his jittery feeling dissipated and his breathing slowed. Roman relaxed, scowling to himself. How embarrassing. 

He glanced at the clock and let out a soft 'huh' when he saw the time. 7 PM sharp. The two of them had slept through the entire day. 

Roman was distracted by a small noise beside him. Virgil's quick, short breaths were easy to hear in the otherwise silent living room, and his hands were curled into fists so tight that his knuckles were white.

Roman felt a traitorous stab of sympathy. He'd had his fair share of nightmares himself. Briefly, he debated shaking him awake, but as soon as the thought crossed his mind, Virgil's eyes snapped open and he shot forward, crumpling in on himself. His entire body shook, and his breathing became even heavier, rasping in his chest.

"Heeeey... Sleeping Ugly." Roman spoke uncertainly. "You're awake now. Calm down."

Virgil's head jerked up and he stared blankly at Roman for a moment. Without a word, he stood up, mouth pressing into a thin line. He started to head for the door, movements mechanic. 

Indignation flared in Roman. "Hey! Where are you going?"

"I- I have to get back," Virgil mumbled, voice trembling. 

"What?" Roman snapped. "No. No way. You think I'm just going to stand here and let you escape?" He moved forward and grabbed Virgil's arm before he could even touch the doorknob.

Both of them stiffened at once.

Roman's heart started racing again as familiar emotions filled him to the brim. 

Fear. Self loathing. Helplessness. And, seeping in slowly, anger.

Virgil yanked his arm away. "Don't touch me," he growled, hardly audible even in the silent room.

Roman swallowed, taking a step back. "…What did you just do to me?"

Virgil glowered at him. "What did I do to you? You were the one who just- grabbed me like that!"

Roman released a long breath. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Virgil's arm fell to his side. "Just... look. That wasn't on purpose, okay? Don't touch me like that again." He started to turn away.

"Hey, wait! When I said I wasn't letting you go, I meant it!" Roman waved his hand and the doorknob disappeared.

Virgil sucked in a shaky breath before turning to face Roman. "What do you want?" He spat.

"What do I want? I want you to not to run back to where you came from and let Logan's kidnappers know where he is!" How could Virgil not see what a threat he was to the three of them?

Virgil went silent, color draining from his face. He groaned, running a hand through his hair. "You're right," he murmured, almost to himself. "How could I think of going back? How could I think of leaving? I-" He cut himself off, seeming to remember Roman by the way he shot him a furtive glance.

"You should sit down," Roman advised, crossing his arms. Maybe he'd be a bit too harsh on the newcomer. 

"Maybe." Roman started, thinking that he had read his mind, before realizing that Virgil was responding to his previous suggestion. The boy sat back down in the corner of the couch. After a moment, Roman joined him.

The initial tension in the room wound down into awkwardness.

"Bad dream?" Roman was the one to breach the silence.

"Not your business," Virgil grumbled, because he just had to be disagreeable even when Roman was very kindly offering him an olive branch, here. 

"Don't think I've forgotten that weird thing you did." Roman cast him a sideways glance. "Care to explain, Dr. Gloom?"

"No." Virgil responded flatly.

For a moment, Roman was taken aback by his directness. His eyes narrowed. "Does it have to do with your ability?"

Virgil shifted uncomfortably, looking away. "...No."

"You, sir, are a terrible liar." Roman allowed himself a second of pride before continuing to drill Virgil. "What is it exactly? Emotional manipulation?"

"What? No! I mean, theoretically, maybe." Aha! He'd gotten Virgil's attention.

"Theoretically?"

"I mean- I've never-" Virgil fumbled for a moment. "I've never been able to control it that well. I can't even prevent people from feeling my emotions.

His emotions?

"They were yours?" All of a sudden, Roman felt guilty. 

Virgil raised an eyebrow. "What did you think they were?"

Roman was speechless. "I- I thought..."

He'd thought Virgil had called up Roman's own feelings- the ones that festered under his confidence and security, the ones fresh in his scars when he joined the guild.

Now that Roman knew that wasn't the case, he felt like a total asshole.

"Ugh… I'm sorry." Roman huffed, looking away.

Virgil cast him a sideways glance, the ghost of a smile playing on his lips. "Sorry? Didn't catch that, care to repeat it?"

Nevermind, Virgil was the asshole here. "You," he complained, "are in-suffer-able. Bullying royalty like myself! It's unacceptable!" 

"Royalty?" Virgil said dubiously, looking Roman up and down. "I have a hard time believing that."

"You-!" Before he could finish his sentence, a harsh knocking came from the door, making both of them jump. 

"Roman! Where is the doorknob?" Came Logan's irritated voice.

"Ah, right. Sorry, Logan!" Roman waved his hand lazily and the doorknob flickered back into existence. A moment later, the door swung open to reveal Logan, brown paper bags in hand. 

"I see you're both awake," he noted, setting down his groceries. "And that you have not torn each other's throats off in my absence. Excellent."

"I'd like to, though." Roman glanced at Virgil and stuck out his tongue childishly. Virgil casually flipped him off in response.

"Now, that's enough of this immature behavior." Logan scolded. "What would Patton say? Come help with the food, both of you. And try not to burn the kitchen down when my back is turned, agreed?"

"-and then I said, 'I'll save you!' And I valiantly brandished my sword at the great manticore chimera." Roman brandished his kitchen knife in demonstration. Virgil ducked out of the way, muttering about how the blood circle 'means nothing to you, apparently'.

"A manticore chimera." Logan didn't look up from the pot. "How does that work? Manticores and chimeras are both already hybrids of multiple creatures."

"Just deal with it, Specs," Roman admonished. "And thus, I saved the princess!"

Before Logan could make a remark about how unrealistic the story had been, one of the bedroom doors slammed open. "L-Logan?"

Logan's head snapped up and worry clouded his face. "Patton?"

Patton leaned against the entrance of the kitchen entrance, eyes wide, staring at the three of them blankly.

"Patton?" Logan repeated, a note of panic entering his voice. Roman had rarely seen Logan's cool, collected facade crack, but in the past few weeks of Patton's sickness, it had been happening more and more often.

Logan took a step forward, reaching out for Patton, but Patton flinched backward. Logan froze in his tracks. "Is there something wrong?" 

"I," Patton whispered. "I can feel everything."


	5. Chapter 5

_ I can feel everything. _

  
Sometimes, Logan wished he could say the same. 

  
"Patton," Logan repeated, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "Calm down. Sit. Tell us what happened."

  
Patton didn't move. "Outside," Patton murmured, "there's a couple passing by. I think they had a fight. They're angry at each other. On the other side of the street, someone is upset from something that happened from wherever he came from. And-"

  
"Stop, stop." Roman cried out. Patton hissed through his teeth, pressing a hand to his head.  
Logan took a deep breath, straightening his spine. Roman was distressed and confused. Virgil looked out of place terrified out of his mind. And Patton- he was in pain.

  
Logan couldn't afford to lose his calm.

  
"Patton, sit down on the couch. Roman, Virgil. Keep cooking."

  
It took some coaxing to get Patton seated, but once both of them were on the couch, he was significantly calmer. "Okay," Logan said steadily. "How do you feel?"

  
"Everything." Patton looked away and hugged himself. "Inside the house and outside. I can't, I can't turn it off." 

  
Logan placed a hand on Patton's forehead. "You're burning up." He observed. "Worse than usual." He dropped his hand. "I think you should go get more rest."

  
"No, no, I'm just... feeling a bit overwhelmed is all." Patton stared at the ceiling. "It was fine when it was just you guys, but this is so much, all these people." He shivered. 

  
"Exactly how far does your magic extend?"

  
"Can't tell," Patton admitted. "It's all blurred together."

  
No wonder he was overwhelmed. He must be feeling the emotions of dozens of people all at once, if his ability really reached into the streets. 

  
What was arguably worse was that this solidified Logan's theory that this wasn't lunar poison; at least, not on its own. Lunar poison took away magic. But whatever was in Patton was amplifying it.

  
Logan tapped his fingers together in thought, trying not to let his emotions distract him. "Everything will be fine, Patton." The words were foreign in his mouth and sat heavy on his conscience. Because what if everything wasn't fine?

  
"Thanks." Patton's words were barely a whisper and once again Logan was hit with that sense of wrongness. Logan was never the one comforting Patton. Logan was never the one to comfort anybody. Patton was the empathetic one, the kind one.

  
Surely Patton must have felt his doubt pulsing off him. Yet he didn't say a word about it, seeming to choose to heed Logan's words rather than his emotions. Don't, Logan wanted to yell. Emotions are honest. Words are not. He couldn't believe he of all people would think of saying such a thing, but it was true. When you feel an emotion, it comes straight from within you, from the most honest part of your heart. Words, true or not, are always a means to an end. They could have any intention, be it helpful, malicious, or benign.

  
Stars. How sentimental he was being. He was feeling so many things at once.

  
That was the downside, he supposed. Emotions were honest, but they were messy. Complicated.   
Patton stood. "Maybe some sleep will help me feel better." It really said something about his condition that he didn't even seem to have the energy to fake a smile. 

  
"Yes," Logan agreed quietly, watching his friend walk away. 

  
Just before Patton entered his room, he paused, looking back. "I think there's something happening in the kitchen," he noted, before passing through the door and closing it gently.

  
The kitchen. Maybe leaving Virgil and Roman alone together was a bad idea. They clearly had had a rocky start. As if on cue, he heard Virgil's voice hiss, "I'm just thinking. Leave me alone, stars."  
"Okay, whatever you say. But that looked a lot like a scheming face to me. How can we be sure you're not-"

  
"Leave him alone, Roman." Logan sighed, walking in. Roman and Virgil, who had been glowering at each other, turned toward Logan simultaneously.

  
Roman's glare softened. "How's Patton?"

  
Logan ignored the pang in his heart. "He's not doing very well," he admitted, keeping his face carefully neutral. "We'll talk to another specialist about it. I don't believe it when they say it's lunar poisoning."

  
"Is there something wrong with his magic?" Both Roman and Logan turned toward Virgil's quiet voice. Virgil flinched and Logan could feel a momentary spark of apprehension from him before he straightened. Though perhaps he'd imagined it?

  
"Why do-" Roman began hotly, but Logan put a hand up to stop him. Virgil's expression was reminiscent of the one he wore in the bookstore. Like he knew something; like he wanted to say more, but was afraid to.

  
Already Virgil was beginning to wilt again under Logan's scrutiny. "There is." Logan tried to choose his words carefully, but there was not much he could hide. "It's become significantly stronger and harder to control." This time, he was certain he wasn't imagining the feeling of dread beginning to trickle in.   
Virgil's behavior was certainly strange, but Logan didn't miss Roman's reaction either. He had ceased to make any move to drill Virgil, and his brow was furrowed slightly in thought. Logan wished he knew what the two of them were thinking. 

  
"I hope you didn't spend all your time bickering as opposed to cooking." Logan said, since it didn't look like either of them had any intention of speaking up. 

  
"Of course not, Logan! What do you take me for, a slacker?" And Roman was back to his flamboyant self, gesturing widely at the pot. "See?"

  
"I will be the judge of that," Logan decided, moving to inspect the food. He allowed himself a small smirk as Roman made an offended noise.

  
Even as the conversation reached some semblance of normality, it was impossible to disregard the very real changes that had taken place. 

  
Things would never return to how they were. Logan knew that. He would not delude himself into thinking the past was forever. The present was ever changing, and the future would always be full of surprises.

  
All they could do was hope those surprises would be pleasant.


	6. Chapter 6

_ "You realize this is illegal, right? If I were caught, I would be put into prison." _

_   
_ _ The two thirteen year old boys faced off in the back of a public park. The sound of children's laughter and creaking swings undercut the solemn mood, but didn't make the exchange any less serious. _

_  
__"Don't be so uptight, Anxiety." Virgil's friend smiled lazily. "This will help people, I promise."_

 _  
__The boy's words washed over Virgil, placating him. Virgil's fists unclenched and his gaze dropped._ _  
__"Yeah." He breathed. "You're right." That was what he wanted, right? To help people. To protect them._

 _  
__"This is what you're good at." The boy stepped forward and rested a hand on Virgil's shoulder. "You want to be useful, don't you." It wasn't a question. It was the truth._

 _  
__And the only way Virgil could be useful was if he heeded his friend's orders._ _  
_  
...  
  
_"Can you tone that down, Virge? Your irrational panic is getting into my head."_

 _  
__"Irrational? Irrational? They're dead! I can't- I can't do this anymore, Dee. I won't."_

 _  
__"...You know, it's funny how you think you have a choice in this matter."_

 _  
__..._

 _  
__"Oh, don't feel so scared. You trust me. Right?"_

_   
_ ~*~

  
Virgil couldn't sleep.

  
It didn't just have to do with his new, unfamiliar bedroom. Or that fact that he'd already slept throughout the whole day. Though none of that helped his insomnia, either.

  
No, it was because he couldn't stop wondering about what was in Patton's blood.

  
A series of staccato knocks sounded from the door, catching him off guard. Virgil stood to open the door.

  
He wasn't surprised when it was Logan's face that greeted him. If anyone could figure out he was hiding something, it would be him.

  
"You know something," he stated. His directness was refreshing- there would be no awkward buildup here- but it also made Virgil nervous.

  
Virgil nodded.

  
"May I come in?"

  
"Oh! Sure." Flushing slightly, Virgil stepped aside stiffly.

  
Logan strode in and sat on the edge of Virgil's bed, gesturing for Virgil to join him.

  
"No, thanks," Virgil mumbled, fingers curling around the edge of his other sleeve. "I'll just stand." He needed to have an easy way out. He needed to be ready to run.

  
"That is your decision." Logan shrugged, before jumping into the point. "What do you know?"

  
"Well." Virgil fiddled with the zippers on his sleeves. "The thing is, back at- at my old place, there's been this... poison of sorts in production."

  
"Poison?" Logan repeated. 

  
Virgil nodded. "I'm sure you know by now my guild is pretty sketchy. I mean, their bookstore is literally partially a front to kidnap people. And I still don't really know what's up with that. I just know… this poison. It's meant to strengthen someone's magic and weaken their control over it."

  
"Do you know why?"

  
Virgil's hands dropped to his sides. "I have a theory," he confessed. "Our guildmaster. He has this ability. He can persuade people, I guess, and make them believe whatever he says." His voice faltered, and Logan picked up the slack.

  
"You think he's going to poison people," he guessed, "and use them for their power."

  
Virgil nodded slowly.

  
Logan's eyes narrowed. "I see," he murmured, almost to himself. "And is there a cure?"

  
Virgil had been afraid of this question, but he nodded again. "Assuming it really is what I think it is, then yes. But it's back with the guild.”

  
Logan winced. "Ah. I see." 

  
Virgil took a deep breath. "I- I know where it is. I can help you."

  
Logan regarded him warily. "Are you quite sure?"

  
"Glad to be of use." Virgil shrugged.

  
Logan's head tilted almost imperceptibly, and Virgil could practically see what was running through his head. Because on one hand, his friend was in danger and in pain. But on the other, could he really trust someone he'd met yesterday in what was practically a gang?

  
"Thank you." Logan finally said. His gaze was unfocused as he continued, almost to himself. "Of course, we still have to figure out whether or not this really is the same poison... and I'll have to talk to Roman as well, and figure out a plan... Being knocked out for most of the time has put me at a disadvantage, but when I return I can memorize-"

  
"You're coming?" Virgil blurted out, before snapping his mouth shut. Logan's head snapped up in surprise, like he'd only just remembered Virgil's presence.

  
"Of course. Between Roman's illusions, your knowledge of the location, and my photographic memory and strategy skills, we'd have a much wider range of options and failsafes than if you went alone."

  
So Logan's memory was his ability. "I guess." Virgil frowned, rubbing the back of his neck. "But it'll be dangerous."

  
"Not if we're careful." Logan rose. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I must go check on the others. Good night."

  
"Sleep well." Once Logan whisked out the door and shut it behind him, Virgil sat down heavily on his bed. He flopped down, wishing he could scream in his pillow but also afraid the others would hear.   
Why had he offered? Why had he said anything at all?

  
He couldn't go back. Because what if he was caught? What if he was talked back into the same vicious cycle he had tried so hard to break for the past year?

  
_I have to try._ Here was his chance to change. To prove that he was really trying- not to the others, but to himself. To finally help someone when before, he only brought everyone down.

  
He had to try.


	7. Chapter 7

_ "Back straight, head up. No- not that high up. Just lift your chin." _

_  
__..._

 _  
__"You look like a moron. Hopeless. Let's just move on for now."_

 _  
__"W-wait, no. I can do this," Roman pleaded. His mom turned her back impassively._

 _  
__"No, you can't. Let's just move on."_

_   
_ ~*~

  
"I'm dead serious," Virgil scowled.

  
"How do we know that?" Roman mimicked Virgil's scowl.

  
"I checked his work." Logan didn't look up from Virgil's journal. "And I am double checking it right now."

  
Roman rolled his eyes discreetly. Logan had been poring over the notes and formulas in the journal Virgil brought all morning. According to Virgil, the poison in Patton's blood matched whatever was in the poison the Dark Sides had made. Logan- wisely- had taken it upon himself to do further research to verify the journal's legitimacy.

  
Truthfully, Roman had no grounds to pick a fight with Virgil this time around. It was clear he was being honest. Despite this, Roman was so restless that he was just about ready to pick a fight with anyone. Virgil just happened to be the easiest target.

  
"Whose notebook is that anyway? Why do you have it?" Roman crossed his arms.

  
"I have to admit," Logan said without looking up, "that I am curious about that too."

  
Virgil stuffed his hands in his hoodie pockets. "They're the head potionmaker's," he replied, a hint of a challenge in his voice. "And I took it so that they couldn't have it."

  
"So… you stole it?"

  
"No! I mean- yes! I mean- stars, would you stop looking at me like that?"

  
Roman was leveling him with a mildly skeptical look. Virgil flushed and hunched his shoulders, glaring at the ground as if it had personally offended him.

  
Victory. Though what he had won, Roman had no idea. "If you two are quite done." Logan scooted backward and stood, dusting nonexistent dust off his jeans. "I believe that it's all true. And should we try to create the cure on our own, it would be time consuming and unsafe. According to the logs of this notebook's owner, it took several tries to perfect the cure, whereas it severely harmed or killed its test subjects in prior trials." Seeing Roman's horrified expression, he clarified, "The subjects in question were mainly alley rats."

  
"So..." Roman squinted. "The cure has never been tested on a human before?"

  
"On the contrary." Logan adjusted his glasses and flipped a couple pages. "The developer of the poison and the cure tested both final products on themself. An incredibly dangerous venture, if I do say so myself." 

  
Virgil and Roman winced simultaneously. Privately, Roman was glad that they had tested it on themself. He wouldn't want it to kill Patton or something like that.

  
"Well, then what are we waiting for?" Roman demanded. "Let's get to it!"

  
"Not so fast." Logan handed the notebook to Virgil, who snatched it and hugged it to his chest, relaxing just a fraction. "We can hardly just- waltz in there with no plan of action. And a plan B to boot."

  
"Says who? We mustn't waste _any_ time! Would you sit here idly?" Roman leaned forward, eyes wide. "Or would you take a risk? Take a chance? Charge bravely into battle for our best friend?"

  
"Stars," Virgil grumbled, "are you always so dramatic?"

  
"Yikes." Logan deadpanned. "Roman, that is the perfect example of what we will not be doing. Our best bet is to get in and get out undetected. Your illusions will certainly come in handy with this."

  
"I _guess_ you have a point," Roman sighed.

  
"Perfect. Then let's discuss strategy."

  
  
Roman didn't need to be an empath like Patton to see how Logan and Virgil both grew tenser as they drew closer to the library.

  
Virgil was less subtle than Logan, though it wasn't for lack of trying. His hood was up and his eyes flitted around like a trapped animal's despite his otherwise stoic face.

  
To anyone looking from the outside, Logan was composed as always. But Roman had known him for long enough to detect the tension in his shoulders.

  
Roman himself was mainly impatient. Surely he could beat off enemies that dared cross their path. There was no need to tiptoe around like they were doing now.

  
Halfway to the bookstore, they ducked into a McDonald's bathroom for Roman to poof Virgil and Logan out of sight. So when they reached the bookstore, Roman was the one pushing the door open. The bells jingled softly while Logan and Virgil slipped in after him.

  
"Okay," Roman muttered under his breath, "Resource room?"

  
There was a barely audible grunt of confirmation from his left. Roman began making his way to the back of the library, trying not to appear as hasty as he felt.

  
"Hi! Can I help you with anything?"

  
Roman bit back a scream of frustration. He was so focused on his task he hadn't even noticed the girl approaching him from the side.

  
"Not at the moment, but thank you." He plastered a smile onto his face, hoping she'd leave.

  
She didn't. "Are you sure?" She smiled sweetly and took a step closer. Roman frowned. Normally he loved attention, but now was not the time. 

  
"Quite sure." He moved to sidestep her, but she reached out and caught him by the arm.

  
"Don't be like that," she purred. "I'm sure there's something I can help you with."

  
Roman felt a strange feeling wash over him- some sort of distorted, detached affection. _She's using magic on me._ What kind, he had no idea. He just knew he had to get away from her before she could go too far. Roman jerked his hand away. "I'm sorry, I generally consider myself very kind and chivalrous toward ladies such as yourself. But this is _highly_ improper." Without giving her time to respond, he turned and marched off. It took everything in him not to bolt or look back.

  
The moment he made it behind a bookshelf, he vanished. 

  
"Thank the stars and moon!" Roman breathed out. "Now, where's the resource room?"

  
"It's the door right there. Hurry. That was Celeste- if she knows you're here, then soon the whole library will be looking for you." Virgil hissed.

  
"The door right where? Mind clarifyin- oh, nevermind, I see it." It was at the end of the row of books, half hidden by one of the shelves. Roman jogged up to it and tried to knob. No luck, as he'd expected. "Logan?" He said softly.

  
An invisible force pushed him aside. Roman let it. The knob jiggled for a moment before clicking softly and turning. The door creaked open.

  
Logan went in first, Virgil second, and Roman last, much to his chagrin. Once the door was closed safely behind them, Roman put down his illusions with a long release of breath. Normally he had no problem keeping up his illusions, but normally he also had full concentration on said illusions.  
Logan flipped on a flashlight and shone it around the room. Books were stacked in piles and on shelves. It was completely unassuming.

  
"Here." Virgil ran his hands along a row of book spines before pushing one of the books back.  
There was a soft click and the bookshelf began to slide aside silently. Roman watched in fascination as it slowly revealed a dark staircase leading down into nothingness.

  
"That," he said, "is a pretty flipping sweet secret staircase."

  
Logan inspected the ground where the bookshelf used to stand, impressed. "The mechanics needed to create a door like this..." His voice trailed off as he seemed to remember himself. "But we're wasting time. Let's go." 

  
Virgil nodded in agreement, flipping on a flashlight of his own and stepping in. Logan and Roman followed suit. Virgil reached to the wall and pressed a button Roman hadn't even noticed. The bookshelf slid back in place.

  
"This does not seem very practical," Logan noted. 

  
"It's not," Virgil agreed, taking the lead down. "It's probably illegal too. The guildmaster is just extra as hell. A bit like you, Roman."

  
"Hey!" Roman cried out softly. "I'm no villain!"

  
"He's not a villain." Virgil snapped with sudden ferocity. Roman did a double take. Virgil caught himself almost immediately, quickly muttering an amendment. "Sorry. He kind of is a villain."  
Roman started to reply before stumbling when his next step landed on level ground rather than a stair below. "That was short," he said in disappointment. He'd been expecting a long, maybe spiraling trek down.

  
"There's no need for it not to be." Logan shined his flashlight around the room. Roman caught a glimpse of a stack of journals and some sort of chemistry lab.

  
"I'm turning on the light." Virgil warned. A second later, a warm yellow glow flooded the room. Roman blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the sudden light. 

  
The room was surprisingly small and cozy. A small mattress was pushed against a corner, blankets messily thrown on top. The journals and lab was set on top of a desk in another corner. Next to it sat a large refrigerator which would have looked normal if it weren't for the large warning sign plastered on its door.

  
"Don't touch anything," Virgil warned as he opened the fridge and started to search it.  
Roman's eyes continued to sweep the room. "Hey." A small grin touched his lips. "The head potionmaker likes My Chemical Romance." He walked up to a poster taped on the wall next to the mattress.

  
"This seems like a fairly unorganized and unprofessional workspace," Logan mused, joining Roman. "It is almost as if someone lives here. Virgil, what are the chances the head potionmaker will come down and find us?"

  
"Literally impossible." Roman glanced at Virgil, who was still rummaging through the fridge. "But the staff is already onto us, so we have to be careful heading back out."

  
"You never really did explain that. Who was Celeste? What was she trying to do?" Roman couldn't figure out that girl's motive.

  
"Someone picked up on your magic," Virgil explained. "Celeste is one of the staff trained to discreetly kidnap customers. She's kind of like a seductress. She uses her magic to charm people into following her." 

  
"Ah. Well in that case, I can see why Roman was unaffected by her ability." Logan wasn't even looking at them. He was frowning at the stairs.

  
Roman scoffed. "Seriously? You're saying I avoided being kidnapped and locked away because I'm _gay_?"

  
"It's a possibility. Is it, Virgil?" 

  
"H-huh?" Virgil glanced back. "I mean, yeah, that's- that's definitely been a problem for her in the past."  
Roman's eyes narrowed in suspicion at his nervous behavior. "What's taking you so long?"

  
Virgil rubbed the back of his neck, turning to face him fully. "Here's the thing. I found the cure," he nodded at a small wooden case in his other hand, "but. The poison itself is gone."

  
Logan's attention snapped toward him, suddenly alert. "Someone took it?"

  
"Yeah." Virgil frowned. "Hopefully it doesn't mean anything. But it's never left the room without a reason before."

  
Logan contemplated this for a moment. "We cannot afford to worry about that now," he decided. "If you have the cure, let's get out as soon as possible."

  
Virgil closed the fridge, nodding grimly. Roman waved his hand, casting the illusion of invisibility on all three of them.

  
The walk back up to the resource room was silent. The hardest part would be getting out. Roman cast a still illusion on the door before resting his hand on the doorknob and turning it. His illusion kept the door in place visually, but Roman could feel the doorknob in his hand as he slowly opened the door and stepped through the still illusion. "Come on," he murmured to his guildmates. 

  
They made it out the door without problem. Unfortunately, there was someone waiting on the other side.

  
It was a woman in her early twenties this time. She was leaning against a bookshelf a few feet away, checking her phone. Luckily, she hadn't noticed them yet. Roman began slipping off, treading quietly in the direction of the door.

  
When suddenly, Roman's magic slipped, and all three of them flickered into appearance.  
Impossible.

  
"I'm very sorry about this." The three of them whipped around. The woman faced them, brushing brown hair out of her face. "It's just, it'd probably be more unpleasant if you were caught by someone else- Virgil! Is that you?" Her apologetic expression melted into one of surprise.

  
"Valerie!" Virgil took a step toward her. "Please. You have to help us. I-"

  
"Well, well, well." 

  
A man stepped out from behind a bookshelf. Roman stifled a gasp. _The snake man._ Logan's kidnapper.  
Logan himself glared at him. "You." 

  
"Oh! My little lab rat! How nice of you to turn back up like this." The snake man's smile was disturbing. "And Virgil! Why, where did you go yesterday? I spent all day searching for our favorite head potionmaker here. Did you bring these two to me?"

  
Roman's head whipped around to Virgil incredulously. " _You're_ the head potionmaker?"

  
Virgil ignored him. "They're not yours," he spat. "I'm done with this guild. I'm- I'm done with _you_."  
"Oh, but Virgil." Roman decided he hated this man's voice, smooth and slippery like the scales in his face. "You need us, remember? You need us to keep you in check. To make sure you don't mess up. Don't you remember what happened seven years ago? It was seven, right?"

  
Virgil took a step back. Roman thought he could see his hands trembling. "Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up."

  
"What's this weirdo talking about?" Roman reached for his knife.

  
"Put your hands down." The man commanded, and Roman's hands froze. "And don't interrupt me."

  
"Stop doing that!" Virgil hissed.

  
"Why not?" The snake faced man inspected his glove-clad fingers. "Virgil, you know you wouldn't last a day without us. What with your unpredictable magic, and your... accident prone experiments."

  
" _You_ were the one that took the poison from me!" Virgil exploded. "It wasn't ready to be tested even on animals! _You_ killed them! Not me!"

  
"I beg to differ." The man tapped his fingers together. "It was your own poison. You put every ingredient inside. Don't you think you could have prevented it?"

  
Roman felt a nudge from Logan. He glanced at him inquisitively, and Logan nodded at Valerie.

  
Roman turned his gaze forward. Valerie was frantically mouthing something he couldn't interpret at him. 'What?' Roman mouthed. Valerie made a gesture with her fingers, wiggling them in the air before glancing at him meaningfully.

  
Oh…?

  
Roman focused on his magic and was delighted when he felt it rush back to him where it had previously slipped out of his control. With a flick of his wrist, he vanished, leaving a still image behind. He did the same to Logan and tapped his shoulder. His friend immediately understood and stepped back, leaving an illusion of himself behind.

  
"Nice work," Logan murmured. 

  
Virgil would be the hardest. He and the snake man were still spitting fire at each other. Luckily, Logan came up with a quick idea. He carefully extracted a book from its shelf before throwing it straight at Snakey's face.

  
It hit him right in the nose. He let out a strangled noise of surprise. Roman didn't waste any time grabbing Virgil's wrist and bolting.

  
The effects weren't immediate. It was only until they were out the door that the emotions crashed over him in waves of overwhelming anger and grief. Nevertheless, Roman didn't let go. It was only until they were well onto the streets did Roman grab Logan's wrist as well and pull them into an alleyway, reappearing them.

  
For a moment, the only sound in the air was their heavy breathing echoing against brick walls. Roman was the first to speak: "I have so many questions."

  
Logan leaned against a wall. "I am assuming that girl helped us."

  
Virgil slid down against the wall, sitting with his knees drawn to his chest. "Yeah." He breathed. "Valerie can dampen others' magic. She must have lifted her ability to let us escape."

  
"I still have..." Roman's words died on his tongue when he saw Virgil. "Uh, are you... okay?" 

  
Virgil scrubbed at his eyes furiously with a sleeve. "Peachy," he choked out. "Stop- stop looking at me like that." He cleared his throat and pushed himself up into a standing position. "Anyway, we have the cure now. Let's just get back."

  
"Yeah. Sure." Roman said dumbly, watching as Virgil stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked briskly out the alleyway. 

  
Questions could wait, he supposed. For now, all that mattered was getting that little wooden case back to Patton.

**Author's Note:**

> this is pretty old and i don't plan on continuing it, just figured i'd share it for anyone who might like it


End file.
